Kia EV9: E-SUV with large battery and rapid charging speed

The Hyundai Group follows the proven path and distributes a successful platform as widely as possible. The Kia brand, which belongs to the group, also benefits from this. With the EV9, it is introducing a 5.01 m long electric SUV whose technical data should give many competitors a headache.

Almost 100 kWh energy content

The e-GMP platform has long since proven itself in slightly smaller models. With a voltage level of 800 volts, extremely high charging capacities are possible. Various test cars have shown that these are not only in a narrow charging area, but in a fairly wide window. In addition, development does not stand still: the Hyundai Ioniq 5 was subsequently pre-conditioned, which enables high charging capacities even in wintry temperatures. So far, cars on the E-GMP platform have peaked at an energy content of 77 kWh. So far, the group has only had more in Europe im Genesis electrified G80 (Test) offered. Now the E-GMP offshoots are getting more too. Kia states an energy content of 99.8 kWh for the EV9. Depending on the model, the WLTP promises between 497 and 541 km.

Range that can be reloaded in 15 minutes

Kia does not provide any direct information on the charging capacity and instead states how many kilometers can be recharged in 15 minutes under ideal conditions. It should be between 219 and 239 km. Since the voltage level here is also 800 volts, we expect a peak charging capacity of significantly more than 200 kW. A Genesis GV70 (Test) and a Hyundai Ioniq 6 (test), which we just had in the editorial office, delivered more than 220 kW charging power up to almost 60 percent SoC. The EV9 will hardly be inferior, but rather offer even more. Pre-conditioning is standard, as is the option of tapping into the traction battery for external use.

drives

Kia wants to offer three drive configurations on the German market, and they are unusually scaled. The motor in the rear-wheel drive has slightly more power than the individual motors in the all-wheel drive. The latter is available in two versions, which differ only in terms of torque. An overview:

	RWD	AWD	AWD GT line
WLTP consumption in kWh/100 km	21	22,8
Batteries in kWh	99,8
Range in km	541	497
Rear engine power in kW	150	141,3
Rear motor torque in Nm	350
Frontmotor in kW		141,3
Front engine torque in Nm		250	350
Total power in kW		282,6
Total torque in Nm	350	600	700
Maximum speed in km / h	185	200
Zero to 100 km/h in seconds	9,4	6	5,3

The empty E-SUV weighs a minimum of 2426 kg, when the maximum payload is exhausted, the heaviest model weighs 3240 kg. The Kia is even larger than a Mercedes EQE SUV or a BMW iX, so the resource requirements are correspondingly enormous.

Highly automated driving

Kia promises further digitization for the benefit of the customer in two places. Smartphones with ultra wideband technology can be used as car keys. The owner can grant permissions for up to three other people and determine which functions are available to whom and for how long. That should catch on, because the Hyundai Group is not alone with this idea. The EV9 is the first Kia that is prepared for highly automated driving at Level 3 and operates here under the name “Highway Driving Pilot”. Not only will it be exciting to see how well this works in practice and at what speed, but also how expensive this extra will be. In the few models of German manufacturers that drive highly automated to level 3 can, it costs several thousand euros extra. Kia is not yet revealing when the EV9 will be launched in Germany and at what price. We expect that this will be the case by autumn at the latest.

(mfz)